Bouffée délirante refers to a sudden outburst of aggression, and during the episode the person may see or hear things that aren't really there. It also involves marked confusion and psychomotor excitement. This syndrome may also cause visual and auditory hallucinations or paranoia. Bouffée délirante is a culture-bound syndrome which is common in West Africa and Haiti.
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History
Bouffée délirante is a French term that was introduced in 1886 by Magnan meaning short-lived psychosis. He used it to describe transient psychotic or psychosis reactions. Bouffée délirante reactions are sudden attacks of brief duration with paranoid delusions and often concomitant hallucinations, typically precipitated by an intense fear of magical persecution through sorcery or witchcraft.
Classification
In the ICD-10, Bouffée délirante is classified as a subtype of either Acute polymorphic psychotic disorder without symptoms of schizophrenia (F23.0) or Acute polymorphic psychotic disorder with symptoms of schizophrenia (F23.1). "Bouffee delirante" is a "puff of madness"